Auto siphon leaks

[Pirate Ale]

Any one who still uses an autosiphon have the problem of leakage around the connection point where the hose connects to the cane??? I am trying to rack and I keep getting air in the hose from thisdamn leak. I even tried a mini hose clamp to stop the leak,but it didn't work.....

Any suggestions?

 

[Flyin' Lion]

I haven't had that problem yet, but how old is your cane. Maybe use smaller hosing, or check where it is actually leaking with soapy water? That's all I've got for now, good luck.

 

[Bobby_M]

I had that problem with the auto siphon and any other racking cane until I went down a size in tubing. I think the one I use is 5/16" ID which you'll need to heat up in hot water for a second before forcing it on. No clamps, no leaks. In fact, I sometimes have to cut it off with a razor blade.

 

[greg75]

I had that problem with the auto siphon and any other racking cane until I went down a size in tubing. I think the one I use is 5/16" ID which you'll need to heat up in hot water for a second before forcing it on. No clamps, no leaks. In fact, I sometimes have to cut it off with a razor blade.

I second that. I have to dip one end of the hose into hot water to even think about fitting it onto the racking cane. If it's going on with little effort, the tubing's too big.

 

[JimiGibbs]

I agree ... I had the same problem until I got the right size tubing....

 

[uwmgdman]

I had that problem with the auto siphon and any other racking cane until I went down a size in tubing. I think the one I use is 5/16" ID which you'll need to heat up in hot water for a second before forcing it on. No clamps, no leaks. In fact, I sometimes have to cut it off with a razor blade.

I'm going to third or fourth that! I had 3/8" ID, worked fine for my first batch, second batch same problems as you've described. I replaced the tubing with 5/16" ID tubing, not a problem since, many batches later!

 

[rwelldunn]

The kit I got as a gift does not have any directions or assembly instructions to put the auto siphon together, but I get the concept...at least I thought. I am inserting the glass tube into the wine thief, and there is no suction or seal. Am I doing this right? HELP!

 

[texasgeorge]

One (different) bit of advice I can offer is to make sure you store your auto-siphon apart when you aren't using it. If you leave the cane inside of the sheath, it can compact the gasket on the end of the cane, causing a poor fit. Just store in two pieces if you aren't already.

If you are..... well, then do what they said

 

[lapaglia]

Bumping an old thread. I have the same problem. My auto siphon leaks at the end where the tubing meets the cane. I tried the twist tie and that plus a little twist on the tubing to find the sweet spot makes it work great. Id be willing to try 5/16 hose as soon as I can get to the store. my LHBS doesn't have it in clear. I'm betting the new tubing I have 3/8" is a little large.

Can I seal it to the siphon and leave it there? Id just sanitize the whole thing instead of in two pieces. A little silicon sealant would do the trick. I tried a wire tie and its better but still not totally air tight. Any reason I need to take this apart? I can put an extension on the tubing if I need a longer hose.

 

[tom777]

I just leave the tubing attached to the cane on mine... It's a bugger to get off. Broke my first autosiphon trying to get it apart. I just siphon a gallon or 2 of sanitizer through it before each use. I suppose to be safe I should take it apart again once to just to be sure there are no nasties hiding in there.. I don't know if it's anything to worry about or not, but so far no problems.

 

[tom777]

same thing for the little piece (1 1/2") piece of tubing I use to attach my bottling wand to the spigot. It's probably easiest to just cut it off and use a new piece. I did manage to get that apart from the wand recently for a little more thorough cleaning.

 

[EvilTOJ]

I don't ever take the tubing off of the autosiphon I just take it apart to clean it. Most that I've seen are supposed to have 5/16" tubing.

 

[GearBeer]

+1 on 5/16"
I used some spare 3/8" once and it leaked like a... well it leaked.

 

[Sherpa FE]

Just put a clamp on it, dont buy extra tubing. Had the same leak and the clamp works like a champ.

 

[wzup97]

I had same problem but now I use a small worm clamp. Problem gone. Just hand tighten the clamp, dont use a tool you may crack the tube.

 

[gmcastil]

Had this happen to me last weekend when I was racking an IPA to the bottling bucket. Tons of bubbles, hopefully I didn't aerate it too much. Fixed it by wrapping several twists of masking tape around the junction between the tubing and the auto-siphon.

Will definitely try the 5/16" tubing now.

 

[Calichusetts]

I had that problem with the auto siphon and any other racking cane until I went down a size in tubing. I think the one I use is 5/16" ID which you'll need to heat up in hot water for a second before forcing it on. No clamps, no leaks. In fact, I sometimes have to cut it off with a razor blade.

Spot on...I would probably break the racking cane before I got the tube off mine

 

[tesilential]

Spot on...I would probably break the racking cane before I got the tube off mine

I have used the same 5/16" tubing for a year and it was looking really ugly. I tried to yank it off and broke the damn racking cane!